VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

Events

VSTE Outreach Welcomes CodeVA

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Join VSTE's Outreach Committee, led by Board Director Chanel Alford for an at-home, 40-minute virtual Guided Tour, led by members of CodeVA's Professional Learning and Eureka Workshop engagement teams. They'll share exciting updates about CodeVA's flagship programs for educators and students, exciting new offerings rolling out this spring and summer, and upcoming events open to all Virginia educators and students.

CodeVA seeks to revolutionize learning with Computer Science in every classroom, and to pioneer and innovate CS learning for students, beginning with their teachers. We care about equity, access and inclusion, as key success measures in this effort. We're eager to learn how we can best support your work in CS, no matter where you're starting from or what grade or subject you teach. We're all in this exciting evolution together!
Bring your favorite drink of choice and join us on Thursday, February 17th at 7PM!
Attendees will be eligible for free CodeVA Swag!

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYlf-ivpzgjGtesWCK_PHJI9IVH4NsFDZR6

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

February Webinar: News & Media Literacy with Common Sense Education

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common sense education logoJoin VSTE's Education Committee on Thursday, February 24, 2022, at 7 PM. We'll be learning more about media literacy with Sue Thotz from VSTE's partner, Common Sense Education.
News and Media Literacy:  Critical, Not Cynical 

How can we help students learn to think actively about the news and media they encounter every day? How can we nurture a critical -- but not cynical -- eye toward evaluating the current world of news media, on the internet and otherwise? Join Common Sense's introductory workshop to digital citizenship with a focus on news and media literacy. We'll explore resources that develop students' abilities to identify, evaluate, and effectively find credible and trustworthy sources.

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtd-usrzgqHtdYZzjLgQd272o3aInALDe-

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

January Webinar Recordings

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graphic of computer with book on screenThursday, January 27, 2022, 7 PM
Pandemic Tech Tools and Tips with VSTE 2021 Technology Coach of the Year, Fara Faust

Come join the VSTE Outreach Committee, led by Board Director Chanel Alford, to meet your 2021 VSTE Tech Coach of the Year Winner, Fara Faust, as she discusses useful tech tools.  Fara is amazing! During the pandemic, she started weekly computer science webinars with elementary students from Virginia Beach City Public Schools. Additionally, she is a facilitator for CodeVA which provides computer science professional development to educators across Virginia. Furthermore, Fara is adamant about students having equitable access to devices, materials, and robotics. Join us for a riveting discussion which is sure to be exciting and a great learning opportunity.

View the presentation

 

The VSTE Education Committee, led by Board Director Tim Taylor, meets the the third or fourth Thursday of each month at 7 PM. Topics range from digital citizenship to technology integration. These meetings are open to the public. Use the link below to register for the January webinar presented by Holly Clark and Tanya Avrith.

Thursday, January 20, 2022, 7 PM
Making Thinking Visible in the Google Infused Classroom
How do you know your students are truly understanding what they are being taught in your class? How are they showing what they know? And how do you ensure that those who do not perform well on standardized tests have the opportunity to demonstrate their learning and increase their confidence as learners? Join Holly Clark and Tanya Avrith – Co-authors of the Google Infused Classroom as they explore ways you can tweak your lessons to provide creative opportunities for students to make their thinking visible; and strategies for providing timely and meaningful feedback to help them improve as independent learners.

View the presentation

UnisonEDU Virtual Conference

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Images of keynote speakersIn less than two weeks, UnisonEDU will be offering its biggest event ever - our first virtual conference!  On October 23, you can grow with us professionally and attend one of four keynotes, over 30+ sessions in 3 breakout times, plus bite-sized sessions during the lunch hour; learning from some of the biggest names in our industry.

This conference was designed with educators in mind and we’re giving you lots of choice starting with registration. It’s FREE to attend the conference the day of or if you want more time to view all of the sessions, pay $10 and your access to the recorded sessions will never run out!  You’ll also receive access to additional sessions and resources.

If you are part of a larger group that wants to attend, we’re happy to provide bulk registration with video archive access for schools or school divisions:

  • Schools may register up to 100 people for $100.
  • School divisions who have from 100 to 200 registrations may register for $300.00.
  • School divisions with more than 200 can register for $500.

The choices continue with our Keynote Speakers, where you can decide which keynote fits your focus and attend the one that is right for you as both morning or afternoon speakers will be speaking simultaneously:

Morning

  • Matthew Woods, The Sandbox Mentality
  • Debbie Tannenbaum, Transform: Techy Notes to Make Learning Sticky

Images of keynote speakers

Afternoon

  • Matthew Joseph, Power of Connections: Cultivating Professional Learning Networks
  • Hedreich Nichols, Don't Be Afraid to Get It Wrong 

Images of keynote speakers

During our breakout times, you can choose from 8 - 9 sessions covering a wealth of areas from STEM, creativity, supporting special education students, mentoring other educators, personalizing learning, HyperDocs, and more!  These sessions will range from 30 - 45 minutes and are categorized from traditional presentation styles to edcamp and gamified style sessions.  At lunch, join in for 15 minute bite-sized or spark-like sessions or consider tuning into the STEM 101 panel.  

Whatever sessions you decide, there is something for everyone!  Check out the schedule and register now. 

Come Learn With Us: VSTE Education Committee Open to Public

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The VSTE Education Committee, led by Board Director Tim Taylor, meets the fourth Thursday of each month at 7 PM. Topics range from digital citizenship to technology integration and, beginning in October, these meetings will be open to the public!

Canva is the topic for the October meeting. Andy Shaw from Canva will give us a tour and provide some insider tips for using this popular online design tool. Canva makes it easy to design beautiful things - from posters to presentations to infographics to flashcards - in a snap. Canva for Education empowers teachers to build visual literacy in students and facilitates project-based learning in classrooms.  Last year, Canva launched a Canva for Districts program, providing free enterprise-level rollout of Canva tools for all school district users, including all premium Canva Pro content, collaboration features and integrations with the classroom in mind, and enterprise-level controls and features. Join us to learn more about the Canva platform and about how to set up district-wide deployment of Canva at no cost, from Andy Shaw, a former teacher and school leader who is now a member of the education team at Canva.

Join us on October 28, 2021, at 7 PM for this FREE event.

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqfu-grD8sGd3BLLTsZQC05XqLIuCvvKdE

Registration Link

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.